Curiosity
by esm8m
Summary: Bebe goes to Snowpoint on business, but at the urging of Candice, does the 'touristy' thing and goes to Lake Acuity. She never really was one to believe in legends, but her mind is about to be changed... Implied Subroutineshipping - Bebe x Uxie


Author's note: Just a strange idea that hit me one day. Please tell me what you think of it. Pokémon doesn't belong to me, obviously.

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The weather was good today. That's what Bebe kept hearing from the locals, but she was not convinced. Sure, it was sunny, but that brought little warmth - it was only slightly above freezing. Maybe that passed for a warm day in Snowpoint, but for someone from Hearthome it simply didn't cut it. Of course, she wasn't here for fun. She was here on business, fulfilling her duty as Sinnoh's PC administrator. One of Snowpoint's PCs had failed the night before, so she had been summoned to diagnose the problem. Fantina had lent Bebe her Drifblim to make the journey, and the Drifblim had gotten her to Snowpoint. Unfortunately, it had taken to the cold even worse than she had, and was currently recuperating in one of the Pokémon Center's rooms.

Bebe thought she had figured out the problem the PC had. The initial error had been that the PC said an essential file was corrupt on boot-up. After she had been able to get around the error and into the usage records, she had found out that someone had tried to deposit a Dubious Disc like a Pokémon. Presumably, the stupid thing had then overwritten some of the PC's code with its own. There was no way of knowing what code was overwritten, though, without going through the entire thing. Her only option, really, was to reinstall the entire OS, which took a long time, since it was such a large program. And, of course, she had to stay there until the installation was complete to make sure it had worked and configure the system to Sinnoh standards.

"Staring at the screen won't make it download any faster." Candice had come up behind her, as cheerful as ever. Bebe glanced up with the slightly blank look that came from staring at a screen for too long.

"I know."

"Good. Now, since you're up here and have nothing else to do, why don't you to go Lake Acuity?"

"I don't have a Pokémon with me." Bebe mumbled, not particularly wanting to leave the warm Pokémon Center. Candice grinned, and Bebe immediately knew she wouldn't be able to get out of going to Lake Acuity.

"That's fine. I've been teaching Weavile Surf, and she needs the practice." Candice plucked a Poké Ball from her belt and handed it to Bebe, who reluctantly took it. "Go. I'm sure you'll love it." Bebe nodded mutely, then walked out of the Pokémon Center.

Candice had been right. The cold, as bad as it was, was worth the sight of Lake Acuity. The surface of the lake, which was as much ice as water, glimmered in the sunlight, and the snow-covered pine trees were the stuff of skiing commercials. The island in the middle of the lake did somewhat disturb the mirror-like surface of the lake... wait. That island hadn't been there when she had first gotten to the lake. Bebe frowned and rubbed her eyes. She had heard the legends, of course, but as a person of science she had always discounted them as just that – legends.

If the legends were true, the cave on that island would contain one of the three Pokémon of spirit. Candice had said Weavile knew Surf. Bebe threw the Poké Ball, releasing Weavile.

"Please take me to that island." She whispered, suddenly feeling conspiratorial. Weavile nodded, and froze an ice pathway to the island. Bebe stared, wondering what came next. Weavile hissed impatiently, then grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her along the ice pathway at high speed. Upon arriving on the island, Bebe returned Weavile, not wanting to appear hostile. She kept the Poké Ball in her hand, though, so she could respond quickly if whatever was in the cave decided to hurt her.

She entered the cave, the halted, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. She started to see a form in the center of the cave, and as her eyes adjusted saw more detail. It seemed to be light blue, with yellow on its head, though it was difficult to tell with the lack of light. It was small, with two tails that were as long as its body, and it appeared to be sleeping. Bebe squinted at it, wondering if this really was one of the Pokémon of spirit. She had thought that such an important Pokémon would be imposing, not... cute, as this Pokémon was. Curious and feeling safe due to its size and apparent slumber, she stepped forward to take a closer look at the Pokémon. It raised its head, and despite the fact that its eyes were still closed, it seemed to be looking straight at her. She halted, somewhat intimidated.

"Welcome to my rather humble abode. I trust you have no ill intentions?" Its voice was surprisingly deep for something so small, and it sounded like she had always thought a king would – exactly the voice she would have expected from a Pokémon of spirit. Bebe shook her head in response to the question, then, realizing the Pokémon's eyes were still closed, hurriedly said no.

"I did not think so, but in these times..." It shook its head, as if dismayed. "But do not mind that. May I learn the state of the outside world from you?"

"Of course. What do you want to know?" Bebe replied automatically, her eyes locked on the Pokémon. It was fascinating – she had never seen anything like it.

"Everything. I could not stand letting you go without learning everything I could from you. To that end, it would be more efficient if I could simply look through your memories."

"Look through my memories?!" Bebe backed up a step and wrapped her arms around herself.

"It is not painful, and your secrets are safe with me." The Pokémon replied, sounding somewhat hurt by her lack of trust. She peered at it cautiously.

"Are you certain?"

"Of course I'm certain!" It said indignantly. "May I look through them now?" She sighed, and ran a hand through her bangs.

"All right."

"Thank you. Now, close your eyes, and keep them shut until I tell you otherwise."

"Why?" Bebe asked as the Pokémon flew over to her.

"Because to see memories, I must open my eyes, and when a mortal looks into my eyes, they lose all their memories."

"That's a good reason." Bebe replied, and closed her eyes. She felt the Pokémon place its hands on her head, one in front of each ear. They were warm, and their grip was gentle. Time passed, with only the sounds of water dripping and her breathing, and she had to fight the urge to open her eyes and see what was happening. Then, the Pokémon removed its hands.

"You may open your eyes now." She did. The Pokémon had moved back, and its eyes were closed, as if nothing had happened.

"Bebe, you are a... remarkable person, completely different from the trainers that I often see. I would enjoy it if you extended your stay in Snowpoint and came back, despite the cold." She was about to interrupt, but the Pokémon went on. "I saw that you have an interest in other regions. I have been able to gather quite a bit of information about them, though I must admit it is somewhat outdated. I would be... delighted to share it with you."

"Really?" The Pokémon nodded. "Thank you." It blushed ever so slightly, clearly not used to gratitude.

"I do not share the information I have collected enough. Teaching is... very important, so I welcome the opportunity. But it is getting late today. If you wish to return to the Pokémon Center before dark, you should be leaving soon." She nodded.

"All right, then. I'll probably see you tomorrow... What was your name, again? I didn't catch it." The Pokémon smiled.

"I neglected to say it. Forgive me for my lack of manners. Most call me Uxie."

"See you tomorrow, Uxie."

"Good night, Bebe. I look forward to our next meeting." She left the cave in a pensive, but cheerful, mood. She had never thought that this was how legends acted – mostly normal, though there was a marked difference in formality. Uxie had been right about the time, though – the sun was setting, and its reflection off of Lake Acuity was beautiful. She released Weavile, and let herself be pulled across the surface of the lake again.

Back at Snowpoint, she entered the Pokémon Center and went straight for the PC, wanting to see the status of the download. It was complete, and was just asking her to configure the settings. She hit the 'okay' button on the box, and typed in her password to access the settings. As it loaded, Candice came up.

"So, how was Lake Acuity?" She asked cheerfully.

"It was wonderful. Probably the most breathtaking place I've ever been to. I was actually thinking of going back there tomorrow instead of heading back to Hearthome, if you wouldn't mind..."

"I wouldn't mind at all! You may want to ask Fantina about it, to make sure she doesn't want her Drifblim back immediately, but I was just visiting Drifblim and it looks like it would appreciate having another day to rest." Candice peered over Bebe's shoulder at the PC. "So is it working now?"

"Just a few more minutes and it will."

"I'll stop bugging you, then. See you tomorrow!" Candice skipped out of the Pokémon Center, and Bebe went back to her work. As soon as she finished configuring the PC, she called Fantina.

"Hello?" Fantina answered the phone tiredly.

"Hello, Fantina. This is Bebe. I was wondering if you would mind if your Drifblim and I stayed here in Snowpoint another day."

"Not a problem. Is that all?"

"Yes, thanks. Talk to you later."

"Good-bye." Bebe logged off the PC and went over to one of the chairs, falling in it exhaustedly. She smiled. Today had been interesting, in a good way. Who would have ever thought she would speak to a legend face-to-face, let alone one who was curious, just like her? And tomorrow was just as promising. This trip had turned out much better than she had thought it would.


End file.
